Last fall, The Chronicle decided that we wouldn't use the name "Redskins" any more when describing the NFL team based in Washington.

Some charged us with political correctness. Others - including myself - thought it was a logical and overdue response to an offensive situation that neither the NFL nor Washington owner Daniel Snyder seemed interested in correcting.

Now the correction may finally be coming. On Tuesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office canceled the Washington Redskins trademark registration. In the ruling, the office announced that it was canceling the trademark because it was "disparaging of Native Americans."

The team says it will appeal the ruling. In 1999, the same office ruled against the team and the ruling was overturned. Things might be different now. President Obama and half the U.S. Senate - a fairly powerful segment of Washington's fan base - support a name change.

But Snyder has been aggressively defensive. Last year he told a USA Today reporter, "We'll never change the name. It's that simple. NEVER - you can use caps."

Fans are, understandably, sentimental and protective of the name. That doesn't change the fact that it is offensive. Please don't try to argue, as Snyder has, that it honors American Indians. Many years ago, my high school changed its nickname from the far less offensive "Indians" (as did Stanford) and we all survived. This is not "Seminoles" or "Braves" or "Warriors." This is a derogatory slur.

The trademark cancellation doesn't prevent Washington from using the nickname. It just means that the patent office won't protect the trademark. If someone wanted to open a business using the nickname, Snyder couldn't do anything about it.

If the ruling is upheld, it will undermine the team's ability to merchandise itself and could derail sponsorship. That is exactly the kind of thing that might finally get the NFL to wake up and take action to change the nickname.

If insisting on an offensive nickname will cost the NFL money, the league will finally grow a conscience.